Throat microphone



Oct.. l2, 1945.

J. M. KUHLIK THROAT MICROPHONE Filed Oct. l5, 1943 Patented Oct. 2,'1945 s PATENT 2,385,857 THROAT MrcnornoNE Aspiration capter 15,194aseril-nafsfoas1o 101mm. (cina-#151) v` My invention relates toimprovements in microphones and more specifically to a new and improvedthroat microphone for use in aircraft, submarines, military tanks anddefense plants and in all other places which are very noisy.

The use of a throat microphone, for instance, is of particular advantagefor a pilot who while flying in a plane must report what he sees andhears. Prior to rthe introduction of throat microphones, a pilot had towrite his messages and the like down, and due to atmospheric conditions,vibrations, abrupt movement of the plane, resulting from air pockets,air sickness, etc., the pilots hand becomes more or less unsteady sothat he frequently could hardly read his own Writing when on the ground.A throat microphone, however, enables a pilot to transmit his messagesimmediately over the existing radio equipment in the plane to a receiveror recorder on the ground. Moreover, a pilot using a throat microphonehas both hands free for operating the plane.

Throat microphones hitherto in use were of the carbon type and hadvarious disadvantages which prevented them. from being used extensively;among these disadvantages, was the difficulty of eliminating disturbingnoise, unreliable Working particularly at low temperature in highaltitudes, Ithe necessity of frequent repairs and replacement of par-ts,and the like.

the wearer which may be amplied and transf mitted through a publicaddress system.

Another object of the present inventionis the provision of a throatmicrophone which eliminates all outside noise so that no matter how muchnoise there may be in a plant none of the noise will be transmittedthrough the throat microphone, and the speaker need only use an ordinarytone of voice thereby doing away with the necessity of shouting orstraining the voice.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of athroat mocrophone which can be used with any standard amplier designedto use a crystal or other high impedance microphone.

A further object of the present invention is the provision of a throatmicrophone which safely transmits even the mildest tone with unusualclarity so that a code system may be developed whereby tapping with thefingers may or the microphone isun'able to speak due to in'- ,jury'orfor anyother-reasonr;

' AV still further object ofthe present invention isA the Aprovision ofa throatv :microphone which if.` light fin: weight, simple construction-so that it canv -b'efmanufactured 'atr a-.very reasonable price, butwhichfis well adapted. toa-withstand the rough usage to which suchdevicesare'frequently Sill'ietild.` .i 4 V:, 11i mrtherbbjects of theinstant invention reside in any novel feature of construction oroperation or novel combination of parts present in the embodiment of theinvention described and shown -be used instead of spoken Words in casethe user in the accompanying drawing Whether Within or without the scopeof the appended claim and irrespective of other specific statements asto the scope of the invention contained herein.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation; v

Fig. 3 is a front elevation view of a detail of the embodiment shown inFigs. 1 and 2, drawn on an enlarged scale; and

Fig. 4 is a sectional View on the lines 4 4 of Fig. 3.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts 'throughout the several views.

Microphone and sound box which will be described hereinafter arecontained within a small bag or pouch I of leather or any other suitablematerial carried on a neckband 2, the Width of which can be adjusted bymeans of several press buttons 3 and which is preferably provided Withan elastic portion 4 such as a rubber band or the like. The microphoneitself, which is preferably based on the inductor-dynamic principle, isplaced into a sound box of Wood or of any other suitable material. Thesound box Which is preferably rectangular in shape and has roundedcorners and edges at its outer side, consists of a bottom portion 5 andof side portions 6 and is open at its top as may be seen in Fig. 4. Themicrophone is placed into the sound box in such a manner that thediaphragm 1 is adjacent to the open top portion of the sound box, andthe sound box in turn is placed into the pouch I in such a manner thatthe bottom 5 is adjacent to the larynx of the person wearing the throatmicrophone. By means of this arrangement, which constitutes an importantfeature of my invention, the vibrations of the sound emanating from thelarynx are transmitted directly to the bottom 5 of the sound box andfrom there to the side portions 6; thus the sound box, which acts as aient pieces I I, which then act as cushions forthe the U-shaped piecevI0 rests eitli'rfdirectlyy resonance chamber, eliminates all outsidenoise the invention as applied to a single modiiicaas previouslyreferred to. tion, it will be understood that various omissions vWhereas the construction of microphones of and substitutions and changesin the form and the inductor-dynamic type per se is no part of detailsof the device illustrated and in its operamy present invention, Idiscovered that best re- 5 tion may be made by those skilled in the artsultscan be attained by placing the magnet 8 Without departing from thespiritl of the invenand the coil 9 in a U-shaped piece of metal I0,tion. It is the intention, therefore, to be limthe anges of which carrythe diaphragm V'I. I ited only as indicated by the scope of thefollowpreferalso to; make vv the diaphragm/slightly VVingrclairr1. l, r.s Y, l curvedra'sfkillustrated in Figfi, andiA to secure 10 Having'thusdescribed my invention, what I pieces II of 'resilient'materiaLpreferably'of rub-'- claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent in berto the anges of the U-shaped piece IIJ sox ,t the United States is:

that the diaphragm 'IA rests against these resil- VA throat microphonecomprising a rectangular sound box having an open side and havingrounded outer corner portions, a U-shaped piece diaphragm 1. If themicrophone is constructed in the manner previously described,' `-the`vvebfo Y a manner that its web rests against pieces of against thebottom 5 of these/undy box or against'- resilient material at vthebottom of said sound additional resilient (rubber) pieces I6, which box,an, electromagnet arranged Within said may be inserted between thebottom Sand the r2'0' U'sh'ap'ed piece and provided with a pole pieceUshaped piece IU as shown in Figwi.y .One 'of directed towardthe. openside of said casing, a the side portions 8 of the sound boxis providedslightly curved diaphragm adjacent said pole with an' aperture I2, andthe pouch l, I'is provpiece and supported acrosssaid U-shaped piecevided with an aperture I4 V(Figs. land 2) which by resilient V`materialwhich isVY carried by the registers `with the aperturevI2...IElexiblef-'insu 25 anges of said U-shaped piece, and means foratlated Wires I5 adapted to connect'the microphone tachingv said soundbox to the throat of a person lto 'an'ampliiier are extended through theaperf in such a manner that his larynx is adjacent to tures I2 and I4. 1l the bottom'of said sound box, all substantially as While there hasbeen shown and described'and set forth.- t

pointed out the fundamental novel 4features of 30 JACOB-M. KUHLIK.

f-metalinoi1nted Within said sound box in such

